What political system do Russians prefer?
- Western-styled democracy 16% (rising since post-Crimea low)
- Current system 18% (lowest since 2000)
- Soviet system 49% (highest since 1996).
This Levada poll shows Putin fatigue more than anything else.
- Western-styled democracy 16% (rising since post-Crimea low)
- Current system 18% (lowest since 2000)
- Soviet system 49% (highest since 1996).
This Levada poll shows Putin fatigue more than anything else.
Don’t get fooled by their preference for “Soviet system”. We are talking here about the highly idealized Golden Age - a key part of backward-looking nationalist paradigm that dominates Eastern Europe. People only truly remember the late Soviet vegetarian period.
But yes it also shows the extent to which the idea of “Westernization” has been discredited despite Russia being de-facto more westernized than ever at the lifestyle level. There is a clear demand for social justice and left-wing politics.
Also, pay attention to 2012 in this graph. At the height of Bolotnaya protests, the popularity of Western model reaches pre-Putin years and equals that of Soviet model, exceeding Putin’s model by far.
That’s been killed by two factors:
- West’s mishandling of Ukraine
- Trump
That’s been killed by two factors:
- West’s mishandling of Ukraine
- Trump
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